Advent: 25 December 2022
Merry Christmas!
It’s Christmas Day and the final day of our Advent Calendar. We’ve reached the last letter of the alphabet. Z is for… Zzzzzzzzzz. It’s time for sleep! Now you may have found some of the calendar texts this year a bit snoozeworthy. Or you may be looking forward to a vacation full of long lies and afternoon naps. Why not? It’s been a long year.
Christmas carols love to imagine Jesus and the people around him sleeping, from Away in a manger to O little town of Bethlehem, from Silent Night to See him lying on a bed of straw. But here is a traditional Czech carol, the final entry from the box of quotations digitised by Plum with the help of Linda in the office, which offers a lullaby to the Son of Light:
Mary was watching tenderly
Her little son;
Softly the mother sang to sleep
Her darling one.
Sleep, lovely Child, be now at rest,
Thou Son of Light;
Sleep, pretty fledgling, in Thy nest
All thro’ the night.
Mary has spread your manger bed,
Sleep, little Dove,
God’s creatures all draw near to praise,
Crown of my love.
Sleep little Pearl, Creator, Lord,
Our homage take;
Bees bring you honey from their hoard,
When you wake.
Georges de la Tour, Nativity, 1644.
Before I can enjoy a time of zzzzzzz’s I’ll be taking the Christmas Day service this morning in St Monans Church, in the East Neuk of Fife, at 10 am with carols and a time discovering what gifts have already come our way. All welcome.
Thank you for all your replies to this year’s Advent Calendar. I’ve enjoyed your reflections on particular quotations, images and songs. And a huge thank you to the team involved in yesterday’s Carols by Candlelight – musicians Andrew, Claire and the StAMP Children’s Choir, all 12 readers, ushers Fiona and Lachlanina, janitor Terry, Tracy and Linda in the office, Print Unit, IT Services and our cleaners. Roughly 500 people and one dog came to the three services, back together in candlelit St Leonard’s Chapel.
On behalf of the whole Chaplaincy team, let me wish you a happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.
Yours,
Donald.